As an extremely popular (and growing) youth sport in the US, soccer demands a lot from both players and coaches. We’ve combined some of the top youth soccer coaching resources and information to get your team off and running for your upcoming season. Whether you’re a volunteer or starting your own club, coaching is a constant learning process.
Youth Soccer Coaching Resources for Training & Drills
“Practice makes perfect” isn’t just an overused expression. First, let’s dive into some drills that will prepare your team for a successful, fun season.
SoccerCoachTV, CoachingManualUK, and OnlineSoccerTraining are three wonderful resources for soccer drills on YouTube. If you learn best by observing, these channels will be sure to give you lots of ideas for your upcoming practice. While SoccerCoachTV and CoachingManualUK are a bit more complex and perfect for older players, OnlineSoccerTraining is simpler – directed toward younger teams.
Soccer Coach Weekly is great for well-explained, detailed practices that can improve any player’s skills. There are countless libraries of content dedicated to each age and skill level, so you can’t miss out!
Sports Mom Survival Guide proves excellent articles on management and leadership. The guide displays drills based on both age and skill, making it perfect for you and your team no matter their level. For example, some drills that are intended for 6- to 8-year olds may not be appropriate or complex enough for those at higher levels. The guide has all kinds of drills meant for different skill levels and positions on the field.
Soccer Nutrition Resources
The top athletes in the world will tell you that a huge part of their success is their diet. Without regular fitness and excellent nutrition, none of today’s Olympic or multi-sport youth athletes would be who they are. Some experts even say that 90% of an athlete’s physical health comes from the kitchen rather than the gym.
US Youth Soccer’s site is perfect for getting your players ready to play on game day. The specific article linked above highlights the ideal food plan players can follow before, during, and after a game and gives examples of foods that are high in nutritional value.
SoccerU details the days and meals leading up to game time. The author lays out the do’s and don’t’s of motivating your players to eat healthy during the soccer season.
Training & Education Resources for Soccer Coaches
Your players aren’t the only ones who should be learning. Whether this is your first year coaching or your tenth, education never stops. Just in the last few years, there have been thousands of hours of online training videos, podcasts, and articles published to help coaches be the best they can possibly be. A good coach often equates to a good team.
US Soccer’s Digital Coaching Center (DCC) is a platform specifically built for coaches across America. With hundreds of courses, the DCC has modules for nutrition, leadership, management, practices, licensing, and so on.
SoundCloud hosts a ton of different podcasts for your training and education. MyFootballCoach, based out of the UK, publishes a new hour-long episode every few weeks. Interviews with youth development coaches will give you tips and advice as to how you can best manage your team.
Popular Social Media Accounts for Soccer Coaches
Are you active on social media? There are plenty of accounts that you can follow on Twitter and Facebook to keep you and your staff up-to-date with all the newest trends in youth soccer and coaching circles. All accounts are geared toward different age groups, so you’ll be sure to find something that fits your team’s level.
On Twitter with over 17 thousand followers, Modern Soccer Coach is one of the leading educators for youth soccer coaches. United Soccer Coaches tweets information about youth soccer coaching, resources for training, and links to their newest podcast episodes.
On Facebook Coerver Coaching is a great all-around resource for training, education, and preparing your team for not only the season, but your next opponent. The most updated page, Soccer Coach Weekly notifies its Facebook followers with its newest drills and practice sessions. Finally, Perfect Soccer Coaching is a perfect source for the observational learner as they update their feed with videos of drills and practices.
